Health And Medicine

Vanderbilt biochemists have discovered that the protein RADX has different biological effects at sites of DNA synthesis, depending on the cellular conditions — even though it works the same way in both stressed and unstressed cells. Read More

Large-scale studies will be required to identify the complexity of genetic variations that affect how patients respond to a given drug and whether they will have side effects, according to researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read More

Hospital data from a CDC network that monitors influenza revealed that adults hospitalized for COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic were 20x more likely to die compared to hospitalized influenza patients. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers find that heterosexually active Black males are the least likely to establish HIV care within one month of diagnosis and suggest that targeted interventions focus on this population. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers used genetics tools and biobanks with linked electronic health records to explore the associations between statins and noncardiovascular diseases. Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified potential new targets for the prevention of atherosclerosis through the enhancement of autophagy, a natural process for recycling damaged cellular material. Read More

A massive worldwide collaboration including researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has identified several genetic factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 illness. Read More

A multicenter study of ICU patients found that in the hospital, delirium was associated with a nearly three-fold increase in risk of death the following day, but after discharge there was no association between delirium and mortality. Read More

Fluid build-up in the brain — hydrocephalus — increases pressure and risk for brain damage; Vanderbilt researchers have now identified genes and signaling pathways associated with the condition. Read More

Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, winner of the 2020 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science, will deliver the next web-based Discovery Lecture on Thursday, July 22. Doudna is recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the co-development of the revolutionary genome editing technology known as CRISPR-Cas9. Read More

A gene variant that lowers white blood cell levels and is common in individuals with African ancestry contributes to unnecessary bone marrow biopsies, according to a study published June 28 in JAMA Internal Medicine.  The findings, led by investigators at VUMC, are an example of how using genetic data could reduce a health disparity.  Read More

An indirect comparative effectiveness study using published data suggests that the targeted therapy olaparib should be re-evaluated for treating metastatic prostate cancer. Read More

The sedative dexmedetomidine, when administered during or after heart surgery, is associated with postoperative delirium and adverse outcomes. Read More

A mysterious inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19 infection and first identified in children also occurs in adults, Vanderbilt researchers report. Read More

Heat therapy could offer a novel nonpharmacologic approach for treating the overnight hypertension that affects patients with autonomic failure. Read More

Vanderbilt Vaccine Center researchers have isolated monoclonal antibodies against hantaviruses, an emerging source of human disease with pandemic potential. Read More

Vanderbilt neonatology team pinpoints signaling pathways involved in the progressive lung fibrosis that occurs in rare genetic diseases. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers dissected the complex microenvironment of the pancreatic islet to discover the signals that drive beta cell regeneration — as a possible treatment for diabetes. Read More

People with a high polygenic risk score for colorectal cancer could benefit more at preventing the disease by leading healthy lifestyles than those at lower genetic risk, according to a study by Vanderbilt researchers published in the April issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Read More

The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) has been awarded a major federal grant to lead a national trial of treatments targeting the Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System (RAAS) in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Read More